Delusions of a Super Hero
by Ashtree101
Summary: Every Character has their own fears and often they will come up with delusions, creating a mental facade to protect themselves. "No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities." -Christian Nestell Bovee written in response to the YJ challenge "Criminal Minded Quotes" Includes all member of the original team plus Roy.


**A/N: This was written in response to the YJ Challenge "Criminally Minded Quotes" **

******Disclaimer:** All fictional characters, places, and storyline that are familiar do not belong to me and are used only for the reading pleasure of anyone on this site.

___ "No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities."_ -Christian Nestell Bovee**  
**

For Artemis Crock everything was okay. Her father's calloused hands stroked her golden locks from her face and his lips ever so gently brushed against her forehead right after she fell asleep to the sound of his soothing voice reading tales of wily cats and insanity driven hat makers at bedtime. Her mother sang softly while she washed dishes in a bubble filled sink and even occasionally twirled her way around the kitchen like a graceful ballerina. Her sister shared secrets and stories in the wee hours of the night and they muffled their giggles under her comforter. No thunderstorm raged outside, and no bitter loneliness welled within her jaded heart. Everything was perfectly perfect.

For Wally West the day couldn't have gone by any quicker. The bell rang and he was the second to last person herded out of the Mr. Thompson's chem. lab. He savored every bite of the delectable lunch lovingly crafted by his aunt Iris and a lopsided grin casually spread across his lips when he found a note, "I'll pick you up for track right after school - Love, uncle B," the sloppy scrawl read. His muscles strained to push him around the track…one lap…two laps…three laps…mile. His lungs fought for every stinging puff of air he could gasp as he slowed to a halt. "Good time, West, but I think you can go faster." Seconds never felt like days and no fear ever crept into the pit of his stomach that he might disappear into a blur. Everything always seemed to go so very fast.

For Dick Grayson mistakes were practically nonexistent. His feet met the mat with a solid thud and his hands went into the air with a confident flourish. His parents cheered from the very tipy top of the big top and he raced up to join them high above the crowd. A few swooshes as flying Grayson's sliced through the air, a couple flips as their bodies twisted with careful precision, and one final perfect toss topped off with a final perfect catch. The crowd roared after the show and his family, entire circus included, celebrated with all the fun they could think of. There was no falling, or tripping, or stumbling and no one ever got hurt. Everything always went the way it was suppose to.

For Kaldur 'Ahm he always lived up to his expectations. He was able to utilize all of his teammate's unique abilities to the very best advantage of the team. He stopped any quarrels amongst his friends before they ever got to far and no one got hurt under his lead. His comrades respected his orders because they trusted him and he returned that same trust to each of them tenfold. Batman never had to lecture him over his failures and his King was never disappointed. Everything he did lived up to what the others needed and expected of him.

For M'gann M'orzz there were no secrets. She was a beautiful green Martian who heard of the wonders of Earth while visiting her uncle J'onn who was known as a guardian of the planet. Her parents wanted her to have the absolute best experiences in life so they sent her to explore all that planet Earth had to offer under the protective wing of her uncle. They sent her telepathic messages of their love each and every day and she loved hearing their well-traveled voices. She never had to lie to her friends and she most definitely was not a hated white Martian. Everything was about honesty and love.

For Conner Kent he never went without love. His father taught him to play baseball, they tossed a ball back in forth through the cool autumn chill for hours on end, not stopping until Conner's mother's voice rang out sharply through the yard heralding them into the warm house for the wonderful meal she had set on the table. They ate and laughed and simply enjoyed one another's company. Conner's friends stayed over on weekends and his mother always baked sweet treats for midnight snacks. Wally made shadow puppets, Robin told ghost stories, and Kaldur gave brotherly advice. Conner never slept in a closet and he never felt like anybody's copy. Everyone knew him as the one and only Conner Kent.

For Roy Harper he never threw his hat. He joined their stupid little daycare team and although he'd never admit it, he didn't really hate it. He never listened to orders, but he let Kaldur give them anyways. He stopped Robin from beating himself up over every mistake and he made sure Kid Flash never went too fast. He guarded _his_ team in every moment and no one ever had to get hurt because he wasn't there to protect them. He didn't have to live alone in a dingy apartment on the edges of Star City, but instead he was surrounded by a team that he begrudgingly called his friends. He had earned the respect he desired and had more than he ever realized to begin with. Everyone always called him Red Arrow.


End file.
